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Protesting Monks with Tibetan flags (Photo credit: SFTHQ)

Reports emerged on Monday that a Tibetan man had set himself on fire in protest against Chinese rule in his homeland. According to Radio Free Asia, Phakmo Dhondup, self-immolated a day earlier in Amdho (Qinghai in Chinese) Province in eastern Tibet. He was rushed to hospital for treatment, but the extent of his injuries is unclear.

At least 105 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in the past three years in protest against Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas and calling for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The protests have resulted in at least 88 deaths, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the self-proclaimed Tibetan government in exile based in Dharamshala, India.

Last week, two teenagers killed themselves by self-immolation in Ngaba (Aba in Chinese) Prefecture. Ngaba has been at the epicenter of the ongoing unrest.

"The actions of these two teenagers show that despite China’s recent crackdown, this form of protest is likely to remain a feature of the Tibetan response to Chinese occupation in 2013," said Stephanie Brigen, director of Free Tibet, an advocacy group based in London. "It also highlights the plight of Tibet's children, who face all the challenges of life under oppression, and are often full participants in the struggle to resist it."

China blames the Dalai Lama for inciting the unrest and intensified its security crackdown across the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and surrounding provinces. In early February, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said police in Qinghai Province had arrested 12 suspects and detained 58 others for encouraging others to self-immolate in the area. Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, while his nephew, Lorang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

"We believe the world cannot remain a silent witness to this growing tragedy in Tibet," the CTA said in response to the sentencing.